Should I just tell them the truth? Most of the world didn't know aliens existed, yes. But there are still some who do, but keep it entirely under wraps. That was a big device in Captain Marvel's movie. They were called Skrull, I think? They have the ability to impersonate all kinds of living beings. A true transformation down to the minute details. The only thing they struggle with is the original person's mannerisms. It's not like they suddenly have access to their entire memories.
"Alright. Let's say I am human. Why are you so quick to assume I'm from a different reality? It's a big universe out there. An experiment could have gone wrong, shooting me out into space, and I had no return, until recently.", I replied.
"True. Those Nazi-turned-Hydra guys did some crazy shit with the Tesseract, almost opening a portal during Cap's time. Then it became reality last week. But you don't seem like you're from that time. The Tesseract's been under heavy surveillance since then, so either it's a one in a million fluke something like that happened, or you're just from a different earth. Take your pick.", Tony responded.
Hmm. So Tony already ruled out that I could have potentially come from the WWII era. That definitely narrowed things down, considering SHIELD took immediate hold on the Tesseract since. Without that, the rest of the universe is basically closed off. All that was left for Tony was the assumption of me coming from a different reality.
"Well, I will neither confirm nor deny your finding. I'll just keep silent on the fact you already dug into our backgrounds while we were passed out. Fair trade?", I replied with a playful smile.
"It's all water under the bridge. Doesn't really matter in the long run. Word on the street says you have nowhere to return to. Can't say I've been in your boots, and I'd rather not find out.", Tony said. "But that's beside the point. The more important thing is, you saved me. That's what matters the most. Thanks to you, I wasn't stranded in god-knows-where in a random part of some sketchy-ass galaxy I don't know about.", Tony continued to say. He then laughed.
"Heh. It's a good thing we didn't find that out ourselves. Instead, we were brought to Planet Earth. I'm sure you want to meet girls. Tony, was it? Like I said, I'm neither confirming nor denying your words here, but it doesn't need a scientist to figure out that they're aliens, unlike me. The one thing I will confirm is that I'm just as human as you are. You can take it from there as you see fit.", I said.
"You really are human?", Natasha mused.
"He's either that, or an extremely well-crafted look-a-like. Not something you'd see at build-a-bear. But hey, it's good to meet the person who saved me all the same. I know that doesn't come for free. Is there something you'd like in return?", Tony suddenly asked, drawing my attention.
"You're doing me a favor?", I questioned, not expecting Tony to say that.
"If it's within the realm of possibility, absolutely. Granted, you better not ask me to sleep with you or something. I take it you are a dude like me. I don't swing that way, buddy.", Tony retorted. My eyes slanted halfway down, giving him a deadpan stare.
"Okay first off, that's horrible. And secondly, no thank you. I have something else in mind. Besides, I have a wife, thank you very much.", I retorted Tony.
"A wife huh? Didn't expect you to be the married type. Let me guess. It's her?", Tony mused, seeing the taller pink-haired girl who was still sharing a moment with Momo. Yet Lala picked up Tony's gaze quite quickly, causing her to shift her head, and began observing Tony.
"You must be that guy we saved while we were falling down to this planet. Hello!", Lala said, greeting Tony Stark.
"Of course you'd speak Japanese. It's a good thing I picked it up last night. I'm just that awesome.", Tony replied, returning to his egoistic-self.
Among the Avengers, Tony's ego skyrockets over the rest of 'em. But he had both power and wealth to back that up. He owned one of the largest weapon suppliers in the entire globe. And after that, he's the first person to invent clean energy, allowing the future Avengers Tower to become self-sustainable. He's also known to have slept with countless women. It's a wonder how he even ended up settling with Pepper Potts.
I don't think Tony will try anything funny here. He may be showing his playful demeanor right now, but I could see respect in his eyes. Us saving him definitely meant a big deal for him. Enough to where he's already giving me favors. Still, Lala remained oblivious to that, as I haven't told her about Iron Man yet. This is the first time she's meeting him. I haven't had the time to give Lala an overview of what happens in the MCU.
"I'm Lala Satalin Deviluke. I was once the first princess to the throne of Planet Deviluke. But as you've seen, that's no longer the case. I'm just Lala here. You can call me as such. I'm not one for formalities anyways.", Lala said.
"Oh good. You and me both, toots. I was hoping to not constantly address you as Your Highness. Tony Stark. I own this tower you're currently in. We're at a place called New York City, and likewise on Planet Earth. I'd love to show you around the place. Unless you'd rather have your husband do that.", Tony replied, introducing himself to Lala. Hearing that, I saw a faint blush appear on Lala's cheeks, causing me to turn silent.
That's something we'll have to address soon...
The matter between Lala and I. If she saw her status already, she definitely knows about our marital status. I know she said we'd have to create new memories going forward, but that's going to be a new road to tread. I am not alone here.
Thinking that, I saw Momo wipe some tears away, and returned to her usual look. She smiled, welcoming Tony.
"And I'm Momo Belia Deviluke, the third princess of said planet. Or was, in this case. Nat here had been looking after us while being on this floor. I've been awake for a while, but I've just been letting this new reality sink in. I haven't seen you come here yet.", Momo said, also greeting Tony for the first time.
"Been away on business, I'm afraid. SHIELD recently divied up some manpower. Government created a new department to handle new threats like this. Can't go into the details cause you know, that shit's classified.", Tony answered.
"Oh yeah, I heard about that from Directly Fury. I think they call themselves the Department of Damage Control. DODC.", Natasha explained, nodding her head at Tony's words.
"Are you fine telling us this?", I mused.
"It's no problem. It's been all over the news this last week. And it's sponsored by yours truly. Each day has been increasingly hectic. I've had zero free time until now. Came to check in on the situation. Didn't expect to see you guys up and about already.", Tony said, explaining the situation to us.
"Hehehe, well Momo here said she's making us a full lunch today, so you're more than welcome to join us. It will take some time getting used to this planet, but I hope we can be friends.", Lala replied, nodding her head.
"Being friends with an alien, huh? Not something I'd expect to encounter in my bingo book. But it's a pleasure all the same. I'm quite famished. I have enough time to spare to enjoy some lunch. I haven't had a good home cooked meal for this last week. If you're up for having me, that's swell. I didn't come here alone, though. Got room for one or two more?", Tony suddenly questioned.
It was weird seeing this ongoing conversation switch between speaking English and Japanese so swiftly, but Tony was acting as if it was second nature to him. He's a genius in his own right. I will need the girls to learn English, though. Not now, but that'll be on our to-do items, considering this will be where we live from now on.
I'm not referring to Stark Tower in particular. Just this Planet Earth, in general. I could move back to Japan if Natasha here can assist us with all the logistics of finding a new identity and all that. Baki lived in Japan most of his life, and living in Japan would be cool. But right now, I'm not thinking about doing this. Crime rate in Japan is practically non-existent, if compared to the rest of the world. It has one of the lowest crime rates.
Considering that I can "Level Up", that might not be the ideal place for me to stay at. Instead, I'm thinking of staying here in New York City! It's wrought with crimes and danger all over the place. If defeating some thugs could net some delicious experience for me, then that should be the way to do it. I'm not cringe enough to become a vigilante or hero for it, though. Those other MCU guys can do that. I just want to see what it's like to Level Up while I'm enjoying this new life. I also don't know if just participating in regular fighting will boost my experience.
Perhaps my skill efficiency? That will need to be tested.
But Tony's words increased my interest in our ongoing conversation. He wasn't alone?